Your Core After Pregnancy Deserves More Than a Six-Week Clearance
The postpartum period is one of the most physically demanding transitions a person can experience — and one of the most clinically underserved. The standard six-week postpartum visit typically involves a brief examination focused on obstetric healing, a general clearance for activity, and little to no assessment of how the core and pelvic floor are actually functioning. Patients are told they have been cleared for exercise — and then discover that returning to activity produces symptoms that weren't there before, or that their body simply doesn't feel the same as it did before pregnancy.
Postpartum core dysfunction and diastasis recti are two of the most common and most consistently undertreated postpartum conditions. They are frequently normalized as inevitable consequences of having a baby — and patients are left to manage persistent symptoms without understanding what is driving them or what can actually be done about them.
At Bray Chiropractic & Wellness in Glastonbury, postpartum core dysfunction and diastasis recti are treated as clinical problems with identifiable drivers and effective treatment pathways — not as conditions to be accepted as a permanent consequence of pregnancy.
What Is Postpartum Core Dysfunction?
Postpartum core dysfunction refers to impaired function of the deep core system following pregnancy and delivery. The deep core system — comprising the diaphragm, pelvic floor, transverse abdominis, and multifidus — works as a coordinated unit to manage intra-abdominal pressure, stabilize the lumbar spine, and support load transfer through the pelvis.
Pregnancy disrupts this system in multiple ways. The growing uterus displaces the diaphragm, alters breathing mechanics, and changes the loading environment of the pelvic floor and abdominal wall. Labor and delivery produce direct mechanical stress on the pelvic floor, perineum, and abdominal musculature. The hormonal changes of the postpartum period affect ligamentous laxity and tissue healing. The result is a deep core system that is frequently dysfunctional in ways that produce pain, instability, and symptoms that persist long after the standard postpartum clearance.
What Is Diastasis Recti?
Diastasis recti is a separation of the two halves of the rectus abdominis muscle — the paired vertical muscles that run down the center of the abdomen — along the linea alba, the connective tissue structure that connects them at the midline. Some degree of diastasis recti is present in the majority of women in the third trimester of pregnancy as a normal adaptation to accommodate the growing uterus.
In many cases, the separation narrows progressively in the weeks following delivery. In others, it persists — producing impaired core function, low back pain, pelvic instability, and difficulty returning to exercise. The persistence of diastasis recti is not determined by the width of the separation alone — research has consistently shown that the width of the gap is less clinically relevant than the tension and load transfer capacity of the linea alba itself.
This is one of the most important and most misunderstood aspects of diastasis recti management. A wide gap with good linea alba tension may function better than a narrow gap with poor tension. Assessment of diastasis recti requires evaluation of linea alba function under load — not just measurement of gap width.
Common Symptoms of Postpartum Core Dysfunction and Diastasis Recti
Postpartum core dysfunction and diastasis recti can produce a wide range of symptoms including:
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Low back pain — one of the most common consequences of impaired deep core function
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Pelvic instability and sacroiliac joint pain
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A visible or palpable ridge or doming at the midline of the abdomen with exertion
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Abdominal weakness and difficulty with functional tasks
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Urinary leaking with exercise, coughing, or sneezing — stress urinary incontinence
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Pelvic heaviness or pressure
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Pain with intercourse — dyspareunia
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Difficulty returning to exercise — particularly running, jumping, and lifting — without symptoms
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A feeling that the core is not engaging or supporting properly
The Diastasis Recti Management Problem
Diastasis recti is one of the most frequently mismanaged postpartum conditions — not because effective treatment doesn't exist, but because the management approach is frequently oversimplified or based on outdated principles.
The blanket avoidance problem. Many patients with diastasis recti are told to avoid crunches, sit-ups, and any exercise that produces abdominal doming — indefinitely, without a clear return-to-activity pathway. While some movement modifications are appropriate in the early rehabilitation phase, blanket avoidance of loading is not evidence-based and does not restore function. The linea alba needs progressive loading to restore tension and capacity — avoidance alone does not achieve this.
The Kegel problem. Prescribing Kegel exercises to every postpartum patient regardless of pelvic floor assessment findings is a standard practice that is not clinically justified. Patients with pelvic floor hypertonicity — which is common postpartum — are made worse by Kegel exercises, not better. Pelvic floor exercise prescription must be based on assessment findings.
The gap width obsession. Measuring the width of the diastasis without assessing linea alba tension and load transfer capacity provides incomplete information. A rehabilitation program built around gap closure alone frequently fails to restore functional core capacity.
At Bray Chiropractic & Wellness, diastasis recti rehabilitation is based on functional loading assessment — evaluating how the core and linea alba respond to progressive load and building a rehabilitation program around restoring capacity, not just closing a gap.
How Postpartum Core Dysfunction and Diastasis Recti Are Evaluated at This Practice
Assessment at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness includes:
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Detailed postpartum history — delivery type, complications, current symptoms, activity level, and prior rehabilitation
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Diastasis recti assessment — gap width, linea alba tension, and load transfer capacity under functional loading
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Pelvic floor assessment — evaluating tone, strength, coordination, and function
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Full lumbopelvic musculoskeletal assessment — lumbar spine, sacroiliac joints, and hips
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Functional movement assessment — evaluating how the core and pelvic floor respond to progressive loading demands
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Breathing mechanics assessment — diaphragmatic function and its coordination with the pelvic floor and abdominal wall
How Postpartum Core Dysfunction and Diastasis Recti Are Treated at This Practice
Treatment is individualized based on assessment findings and may include:
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Pelvic floor manual therapy — addressing hypertonicity, weakness, or coordination deficits identified in the assessment
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Diastasis recti rehabilitation — progressive loading of the linea alba and deep core system based on functional assessment findings
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Chiropractic manipulation and mobilization of the lumbar spine and sacropelvic structures
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Rehabilitative exercise — individualized progressive core rehabilitation designed around the patient's specific findings and return-to-activity goals
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Breathing mechanics retraining — restoring coordinated diaphragm and pelvic floor function as the foundation of deep core rehabilitation
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Clinical nutrition guidance when nutritional factors are affecting tissue healing and recovery. Learn more about Clinical Nutrition at this practice.
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Learn more about Postpartum Pelvic Floor Care, Pelvic Floor Therapy, and Rehabilitative Exercise at this practice.
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Postpartum Core Dysfunction & Diastasis Recti Treatment in Glastonbury, CT
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Postpartum patients with core dysfunction, diastasis recti, and related symptoms in Glastonbury, South Glastonbury, Hebron, Marlborough, East Hartford, Manchester, and the surrounding Hartford County area will find a thorough, evidence-based, and functionally focused approach to postpartum rehabilitation at Bray Chiropractic & Wellness.
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No referral is required. New patients can schedule directly online or by calling or texting (203) 303-4760. Bray Chiropractic & Wellness is in-network with Aetna, Anthem BCBS, Cigna (ASH), and CT Medicaid (Husky). Self-pay and HSA/FSA options are also available.